December 20, 2022

The University of Arizona’s New Commission: A Response to A Drying Climate

Robert C. Robbins, President of The University of Arizona, has formed a Presidential Advisory Commission on the Future of Agriculture and Food Production in a Drying Climate to “provide recommendations on concrete steps the University can take to make our state a global leader in creating and applying transformational technologies and climate-resilient sustainable agricultural and food production practices, in partnership with the desert agriculture industry.”

Robbins recognizes the unique opportunity the university and its faculty and staff have to assist in the response to a rapidly drying climate and how that climate change affects the sustainability of agriculture in arid regions, both in Arizona and around the world.

The Commission has listed four points of focus:

  1. Summarize the threats of drought and climate change to Arizona’s agricultural production systems, with an emphasis on food and a robust agriculture economy
  2. Conduct a comprehensive and constructive review of the expertise and resources that can be brought to bear on the problem
  3. Provide recommended actions for the University of Arizona to take to address the issue and turn the threats into opportunities, and
  4. Identify stakeholders who will support and grow these efforts on an ongoing basis

For more information, read Robert C. Robbins’s statement here or the UArizona article about the commission here.